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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · board · pass · wind · calf · bowl · coach · march

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. wind — moving air
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. hand — in cards
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. march — the month
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — to get on
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. march — music
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. march — the month
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. wind — moving air
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. pass — a permit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com